


On the Flip Side

by thegalrahobbitofplantetgalilfrey



Series: The Red Paladin's Double [14]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Fluff for my favorite red paladins, Gen, lots of things I didn't want to tag, oh and everybody else I guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-19
Updated: 2017-03-20
Packaged: 2018-10-07 22:43:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10371405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegalrahobbitofplantetgalilfrey/pseuds/thegalrahobbitofplantetgalilfrey
Summary: Whatever happened to all of those random OCs? But seriously, if you haven't read the series, don't bother. you won't understand a word.





	1. Stranded

Buzz pulled her lion into a ready position and fired her hidden power. The Galra drones turned to colored glass, a couple of them exploding.

She grabbed the remaining drones carefully in her lion’s mouth and landed on the planet below. “I have more!”

An old alien hobbled out from his shelter. “We can’t thank you enough for what you do for us, paladin. Not only do you protect us from the Galra, but you help with our economy!”

She winced. “What did I say about my name?”

“Oh, yes, sorry. No paladin. Just pilot.”

“Yeah, thanks. I’m not really a part of Voltron, and paladin is their thing. Listen, do enough of you have those weapons systems down so I can leave? There are a lot of planets out there that need help, and I can’t get to them all if I’m here.”

“Oh, yes. Your lessons went well. And we’ll share with other countries, so we can defend ourselves.”

“Good. I’ll be off then.” She blasted into the sky, glad to leave this tiny planet behind at last. She glanced back at the back of her lion, cluttered with various weapons and food supplies. She’d been kind of a smuggler, getting weapons to slaves, and also getting them the nutrition they needed. And then the first of the Galra ships appeared.

Buzz shot them down, but ion cannons were quick to follow. She cursed and looked back at her most precious cargo.

“Hold on, Zan. We’ll get out of this.” He didn’t answer, which was no surprise, since he was floating in a cyro sleep. She pushed the lion into a dive, pulling out at the last moment possible and firing. There was a beautiful kaleidoscope of color as they turned to glass before exploding. She whooped with joy, not noticing the hiss of the cyro pod as it opened.

“Are we happy about something?”

Buzz let out a squawk and jumped. “Zan! You’re awake!”

“Unfortunately, yes. What did I miss?”

“Lots of things. I’m a lone vigilante out to destroy the Galra, present company excluded.”

“Thank you.”

“No problem. My lion has a cyro pod, and since you were bulldozed by that tank-”

“Wouldn’t that mean I would have been tanked, not bulldozed?”

“No. Anyway, you’ve been floating in my cyro pod, healing, and now you’ve woken up.”

“Okay. Hey, look, it’s a Galra ship.”

Buzz prepared her lion.

_You ready, girl?_

_As always, my pilot._

“Why are we fighting them?”

“Uh, lion to Zan? They’re out to destroy the universe?”

“Well, maybe that’s not what these guys are here for.” Before Buzz could stop him, he pressed the communications link, opening up a channel to them. “Hello, this is the golden lion. You are flying in protected airspace, please state your business.”

The Galra on the ship looked at each other, confused. This was not similar to the horror stories about the pilot of the golden lion. They heard that she gathered all the personnel into space pods and jettisoned them, assuming she didn’t just turn their ship into glass, or blow it up. Also they were fairly certain that she was indeed a _she_ , _not_ a teenaged boy. Before they could answer his question, sounds of a scuffle broke out over the com.

“Give me that-”

“Ow! Hey, biting’s not fair, you have cat teeth!”

“Well, you shouldn’t’ve opened a link to the enemy- is this still on?”

“Is everything okay?” the officer asked.

“He heard all that.”

“Yes, I _know_ he heard, how dumb do you think I am? Okay.” A sigh. “Fine. What are you doing in my airspace? Since Mr. Wussy over here already asked.”

“Actually, we’re running away. We heard that the Blade of Marmora is looking for members? We figured the golden lion pilot could give us directions.”

“I can’t. Me and those idiot resistance members don’t get along.”

“Aren’t you glad we didn’t blast them?”

“Shut _up_ , Zan. Here’s a proposition for you. Convince enough battleships to join you, and you can form a fleet, a moving resistance. If you tell that planet down there that I sent you to help them, I’m sure they’ll let you make a pit stop on their planet. Much better than the Blade.”

“You sure we can?

“Oh, absolutely. Golden lion out.” The com shut off, and the golden lion blasted off. The Galra commander smiled. It was time to make some calls.

**_______________**

 

Unfortunately for Buzz, Zan kept up this behavior. Sometimes it worked. Other times… not so much.

**_________________**

 

“Zan!”

Zan winced. What had he done now? “Yeeees?”

“Those people you thought we could trust? They _destroyed_ my main weapons systems! Now I’ve only got my hidden power, and that takes time to recharge.”

“Whoops. I’m sorry, I really thought…”

“Don’t apologize. Just hope that the Galra don’t attack while they’re all down.”

Of course the Galra attacked while they were still down. They barely managed to get away. And when they did, Buzz found the first planet she could with no Galra activity and dropped Zan off, flying away. She fully intended to come back for him, but when she did, he was gone.

Zan thought this planet was weird. It was all jungle, but there were some shape-shifting aliens that helped him. His life got easier. And it got even better a couple of weeks later when, after a battle in space, a pointy-eared girl in metal gloves and boots came crashing out of the sky.


	2. Broken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Concerning Keith's clone, because he can't just float in a cyro pod forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the angst goes in this one, but just for the clone. also, Keith finds out that he's scary.

_Who am I?_

**_I am a Galra soldier, loyal to the Empire._ **

_No. I’m Keith, pilot of the red lion_

**_You fool. That was a ruse. You are a soldier._ **

**_Clone._ **

**_Genetic anomaly._ **

**_Saboteur_ **

_Paladin._

**_Experiment._ **

_Broken. Yes, that’s it. Whatever I was, I am definitely that now. Broken._

_**Useless.**_

_Flying the red lion._

**_She never suspected._ **

_Shooting the real paladins._

**_Those fools went against the Empire._ **

_I fell in love._

**_You went soft on mission._ **

_The other Galra loved her._

**_We made sure he got hit by that tank, the traitor._ **

_She drove me mad._

**_Kill her._ **

_That pain was awful._

**_Get revenge_ **

_She was scared for her friend._

**_Fear is a weakness._ **

_I was scared._

**_You are weak._ **

_I wonder what it’s like to have a friend who would drive someone mad for me._

**_Friends disappoint you._ **

_But I_ want _a friend._

**_No, you don’t._ **

_I still love her._

**_Love is also a weakness._ **

_Do you think she could love me?_

**_Who could ever love you?_ **

_What I did was wrong._

**_What you did was for the Empire._ **

_Maybe I don’t want to be part of the Empire._

**_A traitorous thought. I will cleanse you of these thoughts._ **

_NO!_

****

“How is he, Coran?”

“I’m not sure, Princess. He seems to have come back from the very edge of madness, but he seems to struggle with himself in his sleep.”

“Poor creature. Being driven insane…”

“I feel sure he’ll recover.”

“I hope so, Coran. I hope so.”

“Please.” Both Alteans turned with a start to the hospital bed where the clone lay.

 

“Shh. I think he’s waking up!” Why was everything so dark? Oh, yes. His eyes were closed. Why couldn’t he remember whether he was going to sleep, or waking up? Why couldn’t he even remember his own name? Several choices spread before his thoughts. Clone? No, he was pretty sure that was an insult. My Pet? Mmm, no. That one just seemed… wrong, somehow. Keith? That one had pain, and a startling absence of memory. No. That name already belonged to someone, somewhere. Akira? Where had he heard that one? Why did it matter? He would take it. He opened his eyes. A white-haired woman and an orange –haired man, both with pointy ears were watching him.

“Hello? Do… do you know my name?”

The white-haired woman hesitated. “Well, it’s, um,”

“Is it Akira?”

She jumped. “Yes! Absolutely! If… if that’s what you want.”

He frowned. “If I want? I get a choice?”

“I suppose, Ke-, uh, Akira.”

Akira smiled. “I like it.”

The white-haired woman sat on the bed next to him. “Akira, do you remember anything?”

“No.”

“Nothing?”

“No. Do… do I have parents?”

“Well…”

“I don’t, do I?”

“I’m afraid not, Akira. You’re, well,”

“A clone.”

“Yes. How did you know?”

He put a hand to his head. “I… I don’t know. I just… knew.”

“Well, my name is Allura, and this is Coran. We’re going to help you, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Just so you know, there are some other people on this ship, and they might be a little… surprised to see you. Just… don’t startle them. Actually, it would be better if you stayed in here until I explained everything to them, okay?”

He nodded. “Okay.” She smiled encouragingly and left. Left him alone, with his thoughts. Where had he heard the name Akira? He’d been floating somewhere, safe, but cold. And there had been… voices. Talking. Not about him, but one of them had said ‘Akira.’ And he liked his name. Nobody could take it from him.

Allura came back. “Okay, I think they’re ready to meet you.” He followed her out somewhere bright. Five people in armor were sitting on couches, and it brought a jumble of images that quickly faded when he tried to grasp them. They were all staring at him kind of hostilely, which was a little strange, since he wasn’t sure he knew them.

“Everybody, this is Akira.”

The one in red somehow managed to look even more hostile. “Seriously? You gave him my dad’s name?”

“Keith, it was the only name he remembered.”

“Remembered?”

Allura seemed to hesitate. “Yes. He’s lost his memory.”

“Serves him right,” the one in red, Keith, muttered. With a shiver, Akira noticed that Keith looked exactly like him. Maybe a few extra scars, but they could be brothers. Or clones. That was possible

“Keith! _No one_ deserves that! Don’t let me _ever_ catch you saying something like that again!”

“Oh,” Keith replied sarcastically, “I’m sorry I have hostile thoughts towards someone who knocked me out then impersonated me for a month so that I could be imprisoned and tortured and he could dart my friends and steal my lion. Yeah, that wouldn’t arouse hostile feelings at all.”

Akira hesitated. What was it that you said when you regretted your actions (even if you didn’t remember them)? “I’m… sorry?”

“There! See! And please don’t mention the i-m-p-e-r-s-o-n-a-t-i-o-n. He doesn’t have any memories.”

“That’s what he _says_.” Oh, dear. Was the blue one mad at him as well?

“Lance! He’s lost his memory, I believe him, and you should too!” Akira scooted closer to Allura, hiding behind her.

“If Allura trusts him, we should too. After all, her trust doesn’t come easily.” The other paladins seemed to be persuaded by the one in black, and Akira let out a sigh of relief. He did _not_ want to live on a ship where approximately two people trusted him. Three, if he counted the orange one. Either way, he did not think he would like that situation.

**_____________**

 

Even though the other paladins had decided that they could trust him not to kill them in their sleep (where had that thought come from?), they still didn’t exactly like having Akira on board. Laughter and smiles seemed to die when he walked in the room, replaced by serious expressions and a sudden remembrance of something that needed to be done. He felt sure they knew something about him, something important, but they certainly weren’t telling. One day the castle-ship was attacked, and the paladins had blasted off in lions, _lions,_ to fight them. Akira had watched them in awe, wondering if they’d ever let _him_ fly one of those lions. The question he should have asked was if the _lions_ would let him fly them.

“Hello?” no answer. Nobody was in the hangar. That was good. Akira quietly stole up to the red lion. “Hi, there. My name is Akira.” He put a hand on the red lion’s paw. It bent down and opened its mouth. Akira smiled and climbed into the cockpit. There was a huge mental roar, with the word _IMPOSTER,_ before he was spit roughly out of the red lion, landing hard on the floor.

Keith came running in, lifting Akira up by his collar. “WHAT DID YOU DO?!” He shook Akira. “WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY LION?!” Akira tried to answer, but couldn’t. Keith dropped him in disgust and ran to his lion. The other paladins came racing in, heading straight for Keith and the red lion, except for Allura, who stopped and knelt next to Akira, who was shaking like a leaf.

“What happened, Akira?”

“I- I just wanted to fly a lion!” He bit his lip, trying not to cry. “I just wanted to see what it was like! I swear I didn’t push any buttons or anything! It just spit me out!”

Keith marched back over. “WHAT DID YOU DO?!”

“I swear I just climbed in the cockpit! I didn’t do anything else!”

Keith grumbled something unintelligible and stomped back to his lion, patting her leg and making soothing noises.

Allura put a hand on Akira’s shoulder. “It’s okay. Red can be a little touchy, and the paladins are _very_ protective of their lions. You, you just can’t fly them, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay.”

**___________**

 

Akira discovered that while he liked his room, he really liked the training deck. He ended up going there every night, to smack gladiators and shoot targets. He was punching a bag when he heard footsteps. Not Shiro’s footsteps, Akira would have been fine with Shiro, but Keith’s angry stomps. Akira dived into a closet to hide.

“…Tells me _I_ need to take a walk… Like _I_ was the one climbing into other people’s lions.” Akira watched, horrified, as Keith started to set up a gladiator match. He was going to be stuck in here all night! Waiting in a dark closet! A necklace with a golden sun bounced on Keith’s chest as he dived to the side, and Akira hissed softly, a jumble of memories rising to the surface

 _…A brown haired girl tackling him to the floor, demanding to know what he’d done to Shiro_ (What had he done to Shiro?), _a pain when he refused to tell her, starting in his head, burning like fire, the sun pendant dangling in front of his face_ (It had hurt so badly), _wanting to know where Keith was_ (Where _was_ Keith), _Terrible, terrible pain_ (What had he done)

“What are you doing in a closet?”

Akira blinked up at the frowning red paladin. “Um… Hiding?”

Keith sighed, like he couldn’t believe Akira’s nerve, hiding in a closet in the same room. “Why are you hiding in a closet?”

“Because… Because I was scared of you?” Akira winced, sure Keith was going to get mad at him.

Keith’s brow furrowed. “You’re… scared of me?”

“Of course I am! Every time you look at me, you look like you want to _kill_ me! And today, you were downright _terrifying_!”

“I don’t try to be.”

“Well, you _are_.”  
            “Do… do you remember anything at all?”

Akira shook his head. “Not a thing.”

“I can clear a few things up. You knocked me out and pretended to be me, because you are a clone of me, created in a petri dish by a Galra scientist. You darted Shiro, Lance, Hunk and Pidge. Luckily there was a girl named Shiana. She’s… she’s not around anymore. But she, well, she drove you insane trying to find out what you’d done to the others and where I was. You were put in a containment pod for your fragile condition, and you recently woke up without your memories. Congratulations.”

“You don’t know anything else?”

“No. Now please get out of here while I destroy things.” Akira obeyed, his head whirling as these truths unlocked memories, memories that should have stayed hidden.

**______________**

 

A few days later, Allura found a letter. Akira was gone, along with one of the pods. The letter read:

_Dear Allura,_

_I am leaving so that I can find out a little more about myself, and because I know what I did. I want to make things less uncomfortable at the castle, and I think that by leaving I can do that. Thank you for everything you did for me, I’ll never forget your kindness._

_Your friend,_

_Akira._

**______________**

Nobody noticed the rain-soaked teenager in the hoodie that wandered the streets, alone. He had become part of the scenery. He watched a family, laughing and celebrating some holiday, putting his hand on the lit window of the house, watching wistfully. Nobody noticed him. And nobody noticed when he left. Nobody noticed the wet teenager wander off in the mist. Nobody missed him when he was gone.


	3. When Fragments Unite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everybody comes together. Except Akira, because that could get very awkward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone who doesn't remember, Shiana can fly the red lion, and her people are called the Neconians.

“They’re coming! They’re coming, they’re coming, they’re coming!” Shiana grabbed Zan’s hands and twirled in a circle. “They’re finally coming, and it’s been a _year_ , but they’re finally coming, and they’re bringing Shang, and my mom, and _they’re coming_!!!!!!”

Zan carefully detached himself from his excited girlfriend. “I know. You said. About…” he considered a moment. “seven times. I _think_ I got it. Probably didn’t need to be told after the third time.”

She ignored him. “I can’t believe it! I’ll see the whole gang, and Red, and… and…”

“And especially Keith?”

She wrinkled her nose at him. “Ha, ha, you’re hilarious. There was never _anything_ between us.”

“So you say…”

“Oh, yeah? And what about you and Buzz, hmm?”

“Shut up. We didn’t have a… _thing_.”

“And neither did Keith and I. But… ohmygreatblownupplanet, they’re here!” She dashed for the door.

**_________________**

“Are you sure she’ll be happy to see me?”

“Seriously, Keith? When is Shiana not happy to see you?”

“There was that time when she was getting changed…”

“That doesn’t count.” Lance grinned lazily at him. “You’ll be fine. I just wish she would be as happy to see me. Maybe a kiss…”

Pidge snorted. “Good luck.”

“Hey, it’s not that much of a stretch! Maybe she’ll be so happy to see me…”

“Get a girlfriend, Jeff.”

“ _Hell_ o! What do you think I’ve been trying to do, Doctor?!”

“I don’t know. Maybe get all the girls in the universe to hate you.”

“I’ll have you know that my flirting is _highly_ effective on any alien who doesn’t look like a human!”

Shiro sighed, shaking his head, but smiling. “Alright, all of you. Are we leaving, or not?” They all scrambled to their lions, ready to go. Buzz was there too, having come in a little as well. Even Cullivan was there, Buzz pointedly avoiding him the whole trip. He was actually quite eager to meet the girl who had almost single-handedly rescued the Neconian people.

**_____________**

 

“Keith!” a small, brown-haired blur launched herself at him, nearly tackling him in a hug.

Keith hugged back, glad for her company, company he had missed in its absence. He didn’t say any words, and she didn’t need them. Everything he had wanted to say was in that embrace. She squeezed, and Keith felt like she might break his ribs. She pulled back and kissed his forehead. “I missed you, alien boy.”

Lance wolf-whistled. “Where’s my kiss, sunshine.”

She smacked him upside the head. “I’d think saving the universe would have made you a little more serious.”

He grinned delightedly. “Me? Never. I’m hurt that you’d think that!” Keith grinned. Everything was back to normal.

Shiana turned to Red. “Oh, yeah? Well how come _you_ didn’t come get me?” She waited, obviously listening to the red lion’s reply, before pulling a face, and mocking the red lion’s voice. “You should have forged a stronger bond. I am _not_ acting like a child! Why you little…” The red lion activated her particle barrier, locking Shiana out. “Hey!” she pounded on the barrier. “Let me in, you scrap pile!” the end of her glove slipped down, exposing her hand, which glinted in the light.

Keith grabbed her wrist and pulled up the glove. “You have a metal hand?!”

She shifted away. “Yeah. It, um… It got blown off in the explosion. So did my foot.” She turned to Shiro, who had just landed the black lion, and had heard the last exchange. “You know, I thought me and Shiro could start a club. The cybernetic hand club. We could-”

Whatever she had been going to say was cut off by Hunk rushing out of his lion and sweeping her up into a crushing embrace.

“Hunk,” she squeaked, “Hunk, I can’t breathe!” He set her down gently, and she was immediately caught up by Shiro.

“Don’t you ever,” He whispered fiercely, “ _ever_ do that again. Never!” She was catching lots of emotions from him now, as well as new scenes added onto his nightmares, scenes of him watching the ship explode, and then finding out she’d still been on it. A surge of regret flowed through her, and then Shang was there, hugging her and telling her that she couldn’t _ever_ do _anything_ like that _ever again_. She nodded.

Then she remembered her plan. “Oh! Guys, what does this planet remind you of?”

Hunk squinted at his surroundings, but Pidge answered first. “It looks like Neco!”

“Yes! I was thinking… maybe the rest of my people could come over here?” All of the paladins agreed, and the meticulous process of re-planting an entire planet began. The people back on Arus had formed a democracy, and Shiana was perfectly happy to step down as queen for them.

**_____________**

 

“So, this is the Neconian Shiana I’ve been hearing about. It seems we owe you a great debt. The Neconians were quite useful in the fight against Zarkon.” Cullivan nodded to her. “It is a pleasure.”

Shiana returned the nod with one of her own. “As it is to meet the leader of the Blade of Marmora.”

Cullivan’s nose wrinkled in amusement. “You don’t like us, do you?”

“Can’t say I approve of your methods to gain knowledge.”

“Knowledge or death.” He spotted Buzz as she attempted to sneak past him. “Ah! Welcome!” He knelt and touched his head to her hand.

“Grandpa,” she squeaked, “You’re embarrassing me!”

Zan watched, open-mouthed. “Wait, I thought you didn’t get along with the Blade!”

“That’s right,” she squeaked. “I don’t!”

“But dear!”

Shiana snorted. “Dear?”

“Well, of course. What else should I call my granddaughter? Except, of course, A-”

“Buzz, Grandpa. My name is Buzz.”

He frowned. “But I could’ve sworn it was-”

“Buzz. You’re getting forgetful in your old age, Grandpa.”

“What… You have children?!”

Cullivan frowned at Keith. “Of course. With a nice Balmeran. Why not? Can’t say I approve of her match with that cat-man, but love goes as it pleases.”

“I thought I was an anomaly, to be a naturally born Galra hybrid!”

“Oh, you are,” Cullivan assured him, “She’s just a bigger one.”

“Nature’s biggest mistake,” Zan put out cheerfully.

Buzz stuck her nose into the air. “I prefer the word ‘miracle’, if you don’t mind.”

Shiana caught a memory. _Who wants a Blade? Do you want a blade, Buzz? Yes, you do, yes you do!_

_A half Galra half Balmeran woman arrived, running for the two of them. Dad! Don’t give the baby a knife!_

_Aww, but she wants it! Girl's got to learn sometime!_

Zan looked delighted to have this new information on Buzz, but Shiana was sure he would regret everything he had said later.

**_____________**

 

“I can’t believe we actually did it. The universe is safe, and my people have a home.”

Zan slipped his hand into hers, watching the sun rise. “Yes, we did. The sun is shining on a new age,

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cullivan and Buzz! I've seen a lot of "What if Keith was raised by the Blade," so I made my own version of that. Something I didn't put in there, Shiana made the hand and foot herself, and they are connected to her brain through biological electro-magnets. When she turns off the magnets, she can remove her hand and foot. Just something cool I wanted to say.


End file.
